Automated peeling and coring machinery for perishable produce have long been applied to the canning industry. Specifically, these apparatus have revolutionized mass production of canned fruits such as pears, peaches, pineapples and apples, for example.
Peeling and coring machinery are complicated devices sequencing several hundred levers, cams, springs, air cylinders and precisely timed belts with precise clearances. These machines operate under extremely adverse conditions including pear debris and slurry, together with water dripping on most moving parts.
Typically, individual fresh fruits are positioned in aligning chutes which direct the same to an orienting chamber where an orienting member causes the fruit to be rotated to an aligned position. After general alignment, a plunger member transfers the fruit to a transfer pocket which positions the fruit for receipt into a holding mechanism 10, as shown in FIG. 1A.
Holding mechanism 10 includes a coring cup positioned below the transfer pocket (not shown) and gripping arms 12 formed to grip the outer surface of fruit 13 to secure fruit 13 in coring cup 11. A presser arm (not shown) is activated which urges fruit 13 downwardly from the transfer pocket to coring cup 11 where gripping arms 12 are caused to engage and grasp fruit 13. Holding mechanism 10 is then swiftly pivoted as a unit (FIG. 1B) toward a hollow coring tube to the position shown in FIG. 1C. Holding mechanism 10 is then thrust forward, in the direction of arrow 14, where fruit 13 is impaled by hollow coring tube 15 which completely thrusts therethrough to remove the seed cavity, core and stem from fruit 13 therefrom (FIG. 1D). Fruit 13 is then suspended therefrom and caused to spin about the longitudinal axis 16 of coring tube 15 where a rotary knife (not shown) follows the contour of the fruit to peel the skin therefrom in a lathe-type fashion.
While these peeling and coring apparatus have been adequate in most instances, several problems are inherent in these designs. For example, very large fruit can be heavy and, hence, exhibit significant inertial characteristics during swift pivotal motion of holding mechanism 10 to the thrusting (horizontal) position (FIGS. 1A-1C). Even when properly secured in gripping arms 12, large fruit may be thrown from or become misoriented in coring cup 11. Moreover, large fruit often contacts coring tube 15 or the peeling and halving knives (not shown) as holding mechanism 10 is pivotally moved to the horizontal position of FIG. 1C. Holding mechanism 10 is generally pivotally mounted at pivotal axis 21 to a movable carriage assembly (not shown) which moves forward in the direction of arrow 14 towards coring tube 15 during normal machine sequencing. A spring mechanism (not shown), coupled between holding mechanism 10 and the movable carriage, biases mechanism 10 toward the thrusting position. To control the pivotal movement of holding mechanism 10, a cam roller 23 is rotatably mounted thereto for tracking engagement with a stationary hook cam 25 rigidly coupled to the peeling and coring apparatus frame (not shown). Thus, as the carriage begins to move forward (FIGS. 1A-1C), the spring mechanism urges cam roller 23 rearward from the eye of a curved cam portion 27 of hook cam 25 which causes cam roller 23 to track therethrough to control the pivotal movement of holding mechanism 10 about pivotal axis 21. Because mechanism 10 moves forward (via the movable carriage) and closer to coring tube 15 very large fruit 13 often contacts tube 15 or peeling and halving knives during pivotal motion of coring cup 11 which misorients fruit 13 relative coring cup 11.
Another problem associated with the current peeling and coring machinery is that it is imperative to properly align the longitudinal center axis 17 of fruit 13, which fruit 13 and its seed cavity are generally symmetrically contained thereabout, with the longitudinal axis 16 of coring tube 15 before fruit 13 is thrust onto coring tube 15. Such alignment assures proper coring and peeling of fruit 13 when spun about coring tube 15, as best viewed in FIGS. 1C and 1D.
However, the natural variation in the shape of the fruit, ripeness, the amount of water sprayed thereon or the texture of the skin may resist turning of fruit 13 in the transfer pocket, causing misorientation or misalignment in the coring cup. Up to twenty percent of the time, fruit 13 is poorly positioned in the transfer pocket so that when the pressing arm urges fruit 13 toward coring cup 11, fruit 13 is improperly seated therein. Thus, as shown in FIG. 2, the longitudinal center axis 17 of fruit 13 is not aligned with the longitudinal axis 16 of coring tube 15 and fruit 13 is eccentrically positioned on hollow coring tube 15. As a result, upon thrusting of fruit 13 onto coring tube 15, tube 15 will not pass through the longitudinal center axis to properly remove the core and seed material. Moreover, fruit 13 will not be peeled properly due to the non-symmetry about the longitudinal axis 16 of coring tube 15.
These defective fruits must be hand sorted out from the batch because they are not acceptable for the high margin premium quality pack. Rather, they will be either discarded as waste or downgraded to chunks or low margin fruit slurry. This results in a substantial annual product and monetary losses.